BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- M&T Bank announced today that it will make an immediate contribution of $50,000 to the American Red Cross to assist victims of Hurricane Irene.  M&T will also match all contributions made to the Red Cross by its employees, directors and retirees up to $50,000, and will accept contributions from the public at any of its more than 770 branches.

"In response to a storm that caused a tremendous amount of devastation in communities served by M&T Bank — from the Capital Region of New York on down through the Mid-Atlantic region — we're joining together with our employees, associates, customers and neighbors to help the Red Cross aid in the relief effort," said M&T Bank President Mark J. Czarnecki.

The bank is also offering reduced loan rates and loan payment deferrals to help residents and businesses recover. Existing customers unable to meet their monthly loan payments due to the storm should contact M&T's customer service at 1-800-724-2525 to request a loan payment deferral. All fees will be waived for this service for affected customers.

Visit www.mtb.com to find the nearest M&T Bank location.  M&T Bank is the principal bank subsidiary of Buffalo-based M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB), which has assets of $77.7 billion.  M&T Bank has more than 770 retail branch offices located in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

Media contact information:

Delaware: Megen Morris (302)651-1462

Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia: Philip Hosmer (410)949-3042

New York: Chet Bridger (716)842-5182

Pennsylvania, New Jersey: Kent Wissinger (717)237-6110

SOURCE M&T Bank Corporation